Zenimax Confirms Machinegames Acquisition For Id Tech 5 Project

Bethesda Softworks parent ZeniMax Media has officially announced its acquisition of MachineGames, confirming earlier media reports. Alongside the confirmation comes the news that MachineGames is at work on an unannounced Bethesda project using id Software's id Tech 5 engine. Uppsala, Sweden-based MachineGames is the new venture created by founding members of The Darkness and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay developer Starbreeze Studios. CEO Jerk Gustafsson is overseeing the new project as executive producer. "Working with our new colleagues at id and the world class publisher, Bethesda Softworks, is a tremendous opportunity," said Gustafsson in a statement. He praised the team's experience in AAA development and promised to "push the game development envelope" with the new title. Last month ZeniMax announced it had received over $150 million in funding to fuel studio acquisitions, and attributed its growing development portfolio to the company's success. The company's been on something of a buying spree: in addition to owning Bethesda, it picked up id Software itself in 2009, and more recently purchased Arkane Studios and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's new Tango Gameworks studio. In addition to these studios, ZeniMax launched ZeniMax Online Studios in 2007 to pursue the development of MMOGs.